Week in Review: May 6 -10, 2019

Stay up-to-date on business and economic development happenings in the Capital Region with the CEG Economic Development Week in Review. Don’t miss out on the developments that are transforming the region by following us on:

“The Capital Region’s only plasma collection center began hosting donors last month and sent out its first frozen shipment on April 24. As much as a year from now, somewhere in the world, a highly refined derivative of that plasma will be ready to be injected or infused back into someone else as therapy for a serious medical condition.

CSL Plasma’s new site on upper State Street brings together a gleaming array of technology to perform the first step in turning human blood into medicine. Plasma, the pale gold-colored portion of blood, contains proteins used to create therapeautics to treat immune disorders, hemophilia and other conditions. The proteins cannot be replicated in a laboratory.”

“The new owners of an old textile mill in Rensselaer are working with Albany’s Bill Newman — known as the “godfather” of America’s craft brewing industry — to bring a brewpub to the property along the Hudson River.

Newman likes the great views of downtown Albany and the nearby boat launch, but said there are several hurdles.”

“large hangar originally built for Eclipse Aviation’s new jet is the new Northeast maintenance base for a fleet of 50-passenger Embraer regional jets. Airport and elected officials gathered Wednesday to welcome Piedmont Airlines, a unit of the American Airlines Group, to Albany International Airport.

Airport CEO John O’Donnell described the ceremony as a reunion, pointing out that American had a maintenance base at the airport until 2003, when it was moved elsewhere.”

“Druthers Brewing Co.’s three brewpubs in Saratoga, Albany and Schenectady, are so popular the wait for a table on a Friday night can be as long as 90 minutes.

The restaurant is finding ways to limit wait times with new technologies, but it’s a good problem for the company to have. Over the last three years, Druthers has grown revenue to more than $14 million and the number of employees has grown 30% to 240 people.”

“Philips Medical Systems MR plans a $13.2 million expansion at its Latham manufacturing facility that will add 94 jobs to the more than 400 people already employed at the site.

The expansion was announced Thursday morning by Empire State Development, which is providing $1 million in Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits over a five-year period, based on Philips’ commitment to keep more than 400 jobs at the plant and create 94 new jobs.”

“Brothers Bill and Neil Peck operate the Welcome Stock Farm in this rural community on the east side of Saratoga County. Six generations of the Peck family have been farming the land there, dating back to 1836.

And while dairy farming may seem like a simple business to the average person, it’s anything but that — especially since falling milk prices, rising labor costs and stringent regulation make earning a profit extremely difficult.”